Kingman Extends Influence With First U.S. Stakes Winner

The $500,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes gave followers of North American racing a taste of something to which Europeans are fast becoming accustomed—a major victory by one of the offspring of Europe's fastest rising stallion Kingman (GB). The Saratoga Race Course victory by Domestic Spending (GB)—the first stakes winner for Kingman in the U.S.—was far from all that happened over the weekend for his sire. The following day, the undefeated Palace Pier (GB), who like Domestic Spending is a 3-year-old from his sire's second crop, defied the prevailing heavy ground to capture the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Jacques Le Marois (G1), one of Europe's premier mile events. Kingman was also represented by an impressive pair of 2-year-old debutantes from his third crop in Public Sector (GB), who scored by two lengths in an 8 1/2-furlong maiden on the Saratoga Derby undercard, and Megallan (GB), who cruised home going a mile at Newmarket earlier on Saturday. That Kingman has turned out to be a successful sire is no surprise, given the race record and pedigree he took with him when he retired to stand at Banstead Manor Stud in 2015. Two-for-two as a juvenile, including a win in the Betfred Mobile Solario Stakes (G3), Kingman opened his 3-year-old season with a 4 1/2-length tally over Night of Thunder (IRE) (himself now a very successful young stallion) in the AON Greenham Stakes (G3). On his next start, Kingman was surprisingly beaten a half length by Night of Thunder in the QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas (G1), in a race where his formidable finishing burst had been unleashed a little early. He completed his career with triumphs in the Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1); the St. James's Palace Stakes (G1), where he won by 2 1/4 lengths over Night of Thunder; the QIPCO Sussex Stakes (G1); and the Prix Jacques Le Marois. Kingman's pedigree is no less impressive than his race-record. He is by Green Desert's son, Invincible Spirit (IRE), himself an extremely successful sire and responsible for another exceptional stallion in Australia's I Am Invincible (AUS). His dam, the Zamindar mare Zenda, won the Gainsborough Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French One Thousand Guineas, G1), and is half sister to Oasis Dream (GB)—a son of Invincible Spirit's sire Green Desert—who was a champion at 2 and 3 in Europe and another very good stallion. With that in mind it would have been very realistic to expect Kingman to become an accomplished sire, but it would have seemed audacious in the extreme to expect the level of success he has achieved so far. His first crop of 116 foals has so far supplied 13 stakes winners headed by last year's Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French Two Thousand Guineas, G1) victor Persian King (IRE). His other group winners include Headman (GB), Calyx (GB), Sangarius (GB), and Nausha (GB). Kingman's second crop might be even better. So far, from 111 foals, there have been 10 stakes winners headed by Palace Pier but also including group winners Fearl ess King (GB), Summer Romance (IRE), Sinawann (IRE), Chachnak (FR), Boomer (GB), and Cormorant (IRE). Domestic Spending, who has three wins and a third in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T), looks certain to join those at group/graded winning level in the near future too. Domestic Spending (dam by Street Cry) and Palace Pier (dam by Nayef, a son of Gulch) are both bred on the cross of Kingman over Mr. Prospector-line mares, which gives the oft successful pattern of crossing a stallion back over a mare from his own broodmare line. Kingman's broodmare sire, Zamindar, is by the Mr. Prospector stallion Gone West. On other versions of this cross, Kingman also has group winners out of mares by Mr. Prospector-line stallions King's Best (by Kingmambo), Observatory (by Distant View), Makfi (by Dubawi (IRE)), and Empire Maker, and a stakes winner out of a mare by Kingmambo himself. Less predictably, Kingman has also done well with mares from his own Danzig sire line (although Danzig is back in the fourth generation on the sire's side of the pedigree in his offspring). From a version of that cross comes Persian King (who is particularly interesting, as his dam is by Dylan Thomas (IRE), who is by Danzig's son Danehill out of a mare by Diesis, where Invincible Spirit is by a son of Danzig out of a mare by Kris, a brother to Diesis); group winner Chachnak and stakes winner Twist 'n' Shake (GB), both out of mares by Danehill Dancer, who is by Danehill out of a mare by Sharpen Up, sire of Kris and Diesis; and group winners Sinawann (out of a mare by Anabaa) and Cormorant (out of a mare by Dansili, another son of Danehill). More closely inbred to Kingman's grandsire, Green Desert, are stakes winners Alligator Alley (GB) (out of mare by Green Desert son Cape Cross) and Raakib Alhawa (IRE) (dam by Cape Cross's great son, Sea The Stars (IRE), a Green Desert/Mr. Prospector cross like Kingman himself). With mares by Sea The Stars' all-conquering half brother, Galileo (IRE), Kingman has two stakes winners including Nausha from 16 starters. He also has group winner Boomer from a daughter of Singspiel, a grandson of Galileo's sire Sadler's Wells. Nureyev, a three-quarters brother to Sadler's Wells is in the male line of the dams of Kingman stakes winners Roseman (IRE) and Poetry (GB), both out of mares by Nureyev grandson Pivotal (GB). Group winner Summer Romance and stakes winner Look Around (GB) are, respectively, out of daughters of Statue of Liberty and High Yield, the duo representing the two stakes winners from five starters out of mares by sons of Storm Cat. Finally, we have stakes winning and group 1-placed King of Comedy (IRE) out of a mare by Selkirk (by the previously mentioned Sharpen Up) and stakes winner Private Secretary (GB) out of a mare by Darshaan.